Music Elvis

Archive for the ‘Elvis Costello’ Category

Starbucks and holiday commercial jingles aside, the holiday season is continually marked with joyful holiday albums and Christmas songs sung by classic belters like Bing Crosby or Josh Groban. This year’s record sales and album releases, however, may prove this old tradition to be one of the past. The rise in indie music and its infiltration into American society has been swaying teenage populations for the last several years, and this holiday season marks one of the very first where “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” may not be heard in the traditional manor. Aimee Mann, an indie rocker whose solo talents have taken her eons away from her ’80s new wave pop group ‘Til Tuesday, has been basking in this success of the indie Christmas phenomenon, and many other underground rock groups are right on her heels.

Proving that indie lovers don’t have to fall into the ordinary mold to get into the holiday spirit, acts such as Sufjan Stevens, Rosie Thomas, the Raveonettes, Merge and more are knocking down the doors of the recording industry with great avail in recording and producing some of this season’s best-selling holiday albums. Aimee Mann’s One More Drifter in the Snow, a 2006 holiday compilation, has sold more than 39,000 copies since its release, while Sufjan Stevens’ Songs for Christmas, another eclectic spin on holiday tunes, has sold 81,000 copies since its release in ’06. Mixing the traditional with the inventive, Mann has arrived at a clever middle ground in between traditional Christmas and modern indie music, using her ’40s/’50s appeal to chirp songs like “Whatever Happened to Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “White Christmas,” all included on One More Drifter in the Snow.

Before she was known for her holiday music and ’40s charm, Aimee Mann was seen clawing at the charts with her post-new wave pop band ‘Til Tuesday, a clever effort broken up after three albums were released in the 1980s. Continuing to forge the music industry as a solo act, Mann breezed into the ’90s with her first solo release Whatever, an album that gained her much popularity in the pop underground. Earning the respect of musicians like Elvis Costello, Difford & Tilbrook and Andy Partridge, Aimee Mann went on to release a smash single entitled “That’s Just What You Are” in 1995. The song was included on the soundtrack to the television show Melrose Place, but before Mann could become the star she was waiting to be, her record label Imago filed for bankruptcy, leaving the vocalist out in the cold.

After enormous efforts in the late ’90s to reroute her track, Aimee Mann made a strong comeback in the early 2000s, starting with the soundtrack to the film Magnolia in 2000. Albums Bachelor No. 2 (2000) and Lost in Space (2002) illuminated her star, and Mann’s 2005 release The Forgotten Arm even earned a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. Mann successfully tried her hand at a holiday album in 2006′s One More Drifter in the Snow, and her most recent album @#%&*! Smilers is currently blowing up the charts. Mann’s incredible holiday release sparked an annual Christmastime tour, and you can find Aimee Mann tickets for the show at http://www.stubhub.com/aimee-mann-tickets.

It’s officially 2009! Welcome to the new year! Our crystal ball predicts that the retro look will be blazin’ this year! You won’t be able to turn a corner without seeing sweater-dresses, brightly colored tights, leggings (yes! They’re back!), and slouchy boots. What does this mean for eyeglasses, you may ask? BIG things! HUGE! With the vintage looks in full force, retro-looking eyeglasses will be all the rage when paired with your favorite outfits! How do you get away with pairing your favorite retro looks with your favorite vintage-style glasses without making yourself look out-dated? It’s easy and we’ll tell you how!

The 1950′s: back in the good ol’ days, Buddy Holly’s glasses were swell for guys and women like LeeRemick’s eyeglasses in Anatomy of a Murder were so nifty.

So how do you wear the outfits of the 1950′s without looking like you’re IN the 1950′s? Skinny jeans are hot these days, especially when worn with flats or loafers. Pair darker colored denim with a white shirt, perhaps a cardigan (a longer one is more modern looking) with some flat shoes and dark, plastic frames! Another option for women is to pair a modern looking bubble skirt with a tighter fitting tshirt, a pair of Mary-Jane shoes, and horn-rimmed glasses! Men can wear a cardigan as well but a black sweater over a white shirt with somewhat tighter jeans (think James Dean) is very hot!

The 1960′s: when hoppin’ and boppin’ shifted to swayin’ and protesting, clothing shifted from big and flowy to form-fitting and micro-mini. Faye Dunaway wore hip glasses in the Thomas Crown Affair and John Lennon switched between horn rimmed frames and metal eyeglass frames.

When replicating 60′s chic, it’s important to remember flower-power without looking like a flower-child. The early 60′s were great with jumpers and brightly colored outfits. Today, we have brightly colored leggings (they have MUCH better coverage) that pair very well with t-shirt dresses, sweater dresses, and modern jumpers. When wearing something brightly colored- remember to pick accessories to accent it, like earrings or a necklace, but stay away from making your entire outfit the same bright color… or even a few bright colors. You don’t need to look like a fruit salad.

The 1970′s: feelin’ groovy? So was Jan Smithers in her eyeglasses from the hit show WKRP in Cincinnati! Punkin’ out hard-core was Elvis Costello in his own version of the Buddy Holly eyeglass frame!

Fashion from the 70′s really wasn’t THAT bad… unless you were one of the Village People. Wide legged pants are best paired with eyeglass frames that are slightly more delicate with cool chunk heeled boots (it elongates the leg) and a slim-fitting tshirt or sweater. Higher-waisted pants are a wonderful alternative to the popular low-rise but don’t return to the 70′s, keep it modern looking. Men can still get away with wearing a plaid shirt (lighter colored – no lumberjack styles!) over a white tshirt with some loose fitting jeans and a pair of aviators!

The 1980′s: wide necked sweaters, leggings, leg warmers, sweater dresses, big hair AND big glasses! Who can forget those times? Lots of people. D.M.C. of RUNDMC made big, black plastic eyeglass frames hip again! My first pair of glasses were similar to his – only blue!

Luckily, these styles are hot again but sweater dresses should only be worn with a thick belt and funky eyeglasses. Leg warmers can be worn under boots with leggings. Please steer clear of the big hair! Guys have it easy- a polo shirt with a popped up collar and aviators bring a modern take to Fast Times at Ridgemont High!
Class dismissed!

Gossip in the Grain artist Ray LaMontagne is returning to the stage once again in support of his latest studio effort. Surrounded by dates throughout the country, singer /songwriter LaMontagne is returning in April for another trek, earning some yelps and hollers from folk fans from sea to shining sea. The man, from Nashua, New Hampshire, has a husky voice that leads comparisons to Van Morrison and Tim Buckley, with a younger appeal via an unshaven face and flannel. Gossip in the Grain is his third set with RCA and features the talents of legendary producer and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Johns on the ten tracks. The beats feel so effortless as a modern twist brings back memories of old school pop tunes with trumpet motifs and a throwback to The Big Chill. While the lyrics, written by LaMontagne, still represent the ever so familiar longing and loneliness of love, the upbeat style via jazz instruments and funky folk make their true meaning nearly absolute. Though you may want to pick up a banjo yourself and start jamming with these seemingly approachable men, just wait for StubHub’s version of the next best thing – Ray LaMontagne tickets to see this indie, Reebok-wearing fellow jam out live on stage.

The singer’s jaunt begins April 2 in Montclair, NJ and will continue throughout April (specific dates are listed below). The album, recorded in Box, England, reflects the new image that LaMontagne constantly seems in need of repairing (though most would agree is quite appeasable). His first effort with RCA appeared in 2006 (Trouble) and was followed up by 2007′s Till the Sun Turns Black. Each and every album, though equally focused on the impressive vocals of this perennial traveler (after his parents split, his mother marched Ray and his six siblings across the country looking for work), is an entirely new platform of which LaMontagne is exploring. Perhaps the most explosively impressive from his latest album are “You are the Best Thing” and “Meg White,” named for The White Stripes’ drummer. “It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record,” LaMontagne admits on his site. The album is the first not completely developed by LaMontagne himself, who saw bassist Jennifer Condos and guitarist Eric Heywood help out, while Johns provided his expertise in several instruments. Leona Naess, who opened for LaMontagne last fall, provided the backup.

LaMontagne’s family was raised around the country and when he finally finished high school began working in a shoe factory in Maine. It was thanks to the single “Tree Top Flyer” by Stephen Stills that the folk artist decided to begin making music, and before long LaMontagne had recorded a ten-track demo that reached Jamie Ceretta at Chrysalis Music Publishing. As if by magic, the demo was quickly approved and LaMontagne began recording with Johns.

Get tickets soon for these shows, try http://www.stubhub.com/ray-lamontagne-tickets for sold out dates.
April 2009
2 – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre
3 – Pittsburgh, PA – Palace Theater
4 – Philadelphia, PA – Tower Theater
6 – Albany, NY – The Egg
7 – Northampton, MA – Calvin Theatre
8 – New Haven, CT – Schubert Theater
11 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium
12 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center For The Performing Arts
14 – Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
15 – Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall
17 – Cleveland, OH – State Theatre
18 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
19 – Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theatre
21 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
22 – St. Louis, MO – Pageant Theater
24 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
25 – Louisville, KY – Brown Theater
27 – Birmingham, AL – Alabama Theatre
28 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
29 – Tampa, FL – Tampa Theatre
30 – Miami, FL – The Fillmore @ Jackie Gleason Theater